by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Bill Belichick entered the room wearing his game face, but right off the bat the New England Patriots coach - speaking publicly for the first time since Aaron Hernandez was arrested and charged with murdering Odin Lloyd - expressed remorse for the victim's family. Though he read from a statement, Belichick sounded genuine.

Good thing. For all of the X's and O's and videotape, pro football is a people business, too. When you're running the show like Belichick, you have to read people.

It's easy now to deduct genius points from Belichick for whiffing on Hernandez, who was scratched as a draftable prospect by some NFL teams when he came out of Florida because of character concerns. The Patriots took a chance on him with a fourth-round pick and then upped the ante last year by signing the blossoming star to a five-year, $39.5 million contract extension.

While Belichick spoke at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Hernandez was 12 miles away at the Attleboro District Courthouse for a continuance hearing. He's being held without bond, charged with the first-degree murder of Lloyd, a 27-year-old semipro football player and Hernandez associate who was found shot to death June 17.

"This case involves an individual who happened to be a New England Patriot," said Belichick, who mentioned Hernandez by name just once during a session that went on for more than 20 minutes.

Say what? Just happened to be a Patriot?

Hernandez is the worst-case scenario that might change the game for reading red flags. Belichick maintains he doesn't expect radical changes for the team's evaluation process, maybe tweaks.

He shouldn't rule anything out. Not now. Not with another grand jury mulling a double-homicide investigation with a possible link to Hernandez. Not when it's possible the Patriots played games last season with a murderer in their midst.

It's plausible the club had no inkling - as Belichick contended. But as they "move on," as Belichick put it, the risk-reward formulas for seeking talent for a violent sport are ratcheted up for the Patriots, of all teams.

This is the franchise that in 1996 drafted Nebraska defensive tackle Christian Peter and then cut him within days after team owner Robert Kraft's late wife, Myra, learned of Peter's multiple sexual assault convictions and charges and demanded the team release him.

Have the Patriots lost their way since then?

When the veterans begin practicing Friday, second-year cornerback Alfonzo Dennard will be on the field despite his recent arrest for suspicion of DUI, a charge that might lead to a probation violation after a conviction for assaulting a police officer.

Another cornerback, Aqib Talib, hasn't had off-field issues since he was obtained from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October. But he was once suspended by the NFL for a game for assaulting a taxi driver. And as a first-round pick in 2008, he scuffled with another player at the rookie symposium designed to help players transition.

In 2011, Talib was involved in a dispute with his sister's boyfriend and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges were ultimately dropped.

Belichick talked Wednesday about operating on a "case-by-case" basis. Dennard and Talib are not Hernandez. They have their own issues.

Nonetheless, the residual effect will include more scrutiny of an internal evaluation process Belichick maintains doesn't need an overhaul when considering how many high-character players have come through the doors.

"This process is far from perfect, but it's one that we've used from 2000 until today," said Belichick, who, to be fair, did release Hernandez shortly after his arrest. "Unfortunately, this most recent situation with the charges involved is not a good one on that record."

Belichick agreed with Kraft's assertion that he was "duped" by Hernandez - who pledged to be a good citizen after failing drug tests in college, when he was also investigated but not charged, in other incidents.

This reminds me of a recent conversation with Kraft, who declined an interview request this week from USA TODAY Sports but spoke during the playoffs in January at length about weighing character risks.

"We've had a number of players who came in here who have had incidents," Kraft said then. "I have a lot of faith in Bill's judgment, but I also take the opportunity to meet with these players alone and talk to them, tell them what's important to me and my family and how we see things and how we feel they should conduct themselves on and off the field. That's very important to us. We're very clear in what we say."

Kraft said that during those introductory chats he typically tells players they will be released with one off-field incident, adding this message: You are representing my family.

To illustrate the point, Kraft retrieved a framed photograph of former wide receiver Randy Moss. It was signed, "Randy Moss Kraft."

Belichick has the autonomy to pretty much run the football operation as he sees fit. Kraft said he allowed that on one condition: no thugs.

Adherence to that philosophy - even with the essential zero tolerance the Patriots have had with players who have off-the-field issues after getting a chance in New England - is up for debate.